That's an interesting thought. But if you're a municipality and you could once afford policing but now can't because cop salaries have gone up 10%, the logical thing to do is to look at police salaries as being the reason why you can't afford the type of policing you want.

Some telling numbers from AMO paint a grim picture: In 2011, Ontarians spent $320 per capita on policing.

That's about $35 more than Albertans, $56 more than B.C. and $24 more than Quebec.

The OPP wage increase of 13.55% over four years, with a massive 8.55% hike this year, is causing grief for taxpayers.